Oligonucleotides have been widely used typically as transcription factor inhibitors, antisense oligonucleotides and siRNAs.
Of these, specific examples of the transcription factor inhibitors are molecular decoy nucleic acids (decoy oligonucleotide, hereinafter briefly referred to as “decoy”) that specifically inhibit the activities of transcription factors regulating gene expression.
The “transcription” herein refers to a process in which a messenger RNA is synthesized using a DNA as a template upon in vivo expression of genetic information. A protein is then synthesized based on the information of the messenger RNA synthesized as a result of transcription. Factors regulating the transcription are designated as “transcription factors”.
Specifically, fifty-four transcription factors such as NF-κB, STAT-1, STAT-2, STAT-3, STAT-4, STAT-5, STAT-6, GATA-3, AP-1, E2F, Ets and CRE are known.
Specific examples of the antisense oligonucleotides are medicaments each having a sequence paring with a target gene and inhibiting the expression of the gene.
Specific examples of siRNAs are medicaments inhibiting the expression of a target gene by RNA interference (RNAi).
These oligonucleotides structurally comprise double strands.
Background art to the present invention is documented in Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2003 Sep. 5; 308(4):689-97, Gene Ther. 2002 Dec.; 9(24); 1682-92, and Circ Res. 2002 Jun. 28; 90(12):1325-32.